Recording and reproduction of shapes

ABSTRACT

A cover for an article of furniture, said cover conforming to the surface configuration of the article and including a plurality of interconnected panels prepared from panel patterns and a method of making the covers. The patterns are constructed by the method of making a plurality of two-dimensional recordings of the geometry of the article, reproducing the recordings free from perspective distortion, preparing two-dimensional planar representations of said article from said reconstructed recordings and constructing panel patterns from said planar representations.

United States Patent Dicus, Jr. et a1.

[54] RECORDING AND REPRODUCTION OF I SHAPES [72] Inventors: Allen B. Dicus, Jr., River Forest; Ar-

nold -S. Kharasch, Lincolnwood; Sheldon Lavin, Skokie, all of 111.

[73] Assignee: Photogramim, lnc.

[22] Filed: March 8, 1971 [21] Appl. No.: 122,242

Related US. Application Data [63] Continuation-impart of Ser. No. 566,105, July 18 1966, abandoned.

[52] US. Cl. ..95/18, 33/17, 156/58, 355/22, 355/43, 355/52, 355/66 [51] Int. Cl. ..G03b 35/08 [58] Field of Search ..355/18, 22, 46, 52, 43, 60, 355/65, 66; 352/60, 65; 95/1, 18; 156/58;

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,069,647 2/ 1937 De La Tour ..156/58 [4 1 Aug. 8, 1972' 2,085,400 6/ 1937 Tomozawa ..156/58 2,664,784 l/ 1954 Waller ..95/1 X 3,289,528 12/1966 Petreycik ..355/52 X Primary Examiner-Samuel S. Matthews Assistant Examiner-Richard A. Wintercorn AttorneyDressler, Goldsmith, Clement & Gordon ABSTRACT A cover for an article of furniture, said cover conforming to the surface configuration of the article and including a plurality of interconnected panels prepared from panel patterns and a method of making the covers. The patterns are constructed by the method of making a plurality of two-dimensional recordings of the geometry of the article, reproducing the recordings free from perspective distortion, preparing two-dimensional planar representations of said article from said reconstructed recordings and constructing panel patterns from said planar representations.

26 Clairm, 25 Drawing Figures PATENTEME 8 I912 i 3.682.063

' sum 1 or 4 ATTORNEYS PAIENm'Jwc W2 3.682.063

SHEET 2 OF 4 INVENTORS.

d/z Jag-pic m azmzfi %/a 40% A y I ATTORNEYS This application is a continuation-in-part of application Ser. No. 566,105 filed July 18, 1966, now abandoned.

This invention relates to the measurement and reproduction of the shapes, to the photographic recording, measurement and reproduction of the shape of objects, and, more particularly, to the measurement of furniture for the remote production of slipcovers.

One of the problems in reproducing the shape of various objects, such as to allow for the production of slipcovers or the creation of scale models and the like, is the means of obtaining measurements of the device in the absence of plans and specifications. In the absence of such information it has been necessary to actually measure the object to be reproduced so that patterns or plans may be created. It is often the case that such measurements require the services of skilled personnel and are such as to make the reproduction of the shape of the object prohibitively expensive for the purpose desired. It is clear, therefore, that it would be desirable to be able to reproduce the shape of. objects under these circumstances simply and at reasonable cost without the necessity of spending considerable time making these measurements on the object itself.

In accordance with the present invention there is provided a method for recording and reproducing the shape of objects without utilizing the time-consuming and exacting task of measuring or dimensioning the object itself. One typical problem which may be solved by the present invention is the production of custom-fitted slipcovers for furniture. Although the present invention will be described primarily with respect to such preparation and production of slipcovers, it is clear that it is susceptible to various other applications which have heretofore been too diflicult, too expensive or otherwise not commercially feasible.

Commercial ready-made slipcovers for furniture are designed to fit only the simplest standard configurations or otherwise are designed to approximately fit a number of different configurations. In order to obtain slipcovers with the reasonable assurance that they will conform to the shape of an individual piece of fumiture, it is necessary to abandon the idea of a production slipcover and revert to a slipcover custom-made for a I given piece of furniture.

At present, custom slipcovers are produced by skilled artisans empirically dimensioning the slipcover by fitting and cutting it in' place on the piece of fumiture. This not only limits the trade area of such a skilled artisan, but also his production capacity since he must travel from place to place with his material to work on each individual piece of furniture.

The obvious advantages of an ability to produce custom slipcovers without requiring the presence of a skilled artisan at the location of each separate piece of furniture to be covered is too obvious to necessitate comment. Clearly, however, for such a concept to be practical it should eliminate the need for skilled workers in the field, it should be simple, efficient, inexpensive, and should provide for a centralized production line operation with greatly increased capacity.

The problem with attempting to measure the fumiture in the field and then constructing slipcovers from the measurements at remote locations .is that such a procedure would utilize an excessively large number of highly accurate measurements, a procedure as complex as actually fitting and cutting the slipcover itself. Unless such measurements were properly made, the resulting slipcovers would not fit the furniture. Photographing fumiture and producing slipcovers from the photographs would appear to be the answer to this difficulty.

However, the problems in such attempts to photographically produce slipcovers are many.

The basic problem is that photographs are perspective views, i.e., the scale or size of objects pictured is inversely proportional to the distance from the photographic lens. The back of a chair, for example, appears appreciably smaller than the front of the chair in a photograph taken from the front from close range. Dimensions in such a perspective view are of equal scale in one plane only. Since all three-dimensional objects exist in more than one plane and since the solution for accurately measuring such objects from a single perspective photograph is, therefore, very complex, the idea loses its basic advantages of increased production, simplicity and reduced cost.

Furthermore, any such photographic system which is to be utilized by unskilled personnel in the field must, of necessity, be inherently simple. If a system is to be usable by the ordinary salesman, it must be one which allows for a minimum number of mistakes during the initial step of taking pictures since the slipcovers themselves are to be produced from the. photographs.

In accordance with the present invention there is provided a measuring system, the use of which allows for the measurement and recording of objects and for the accurate reproduction of the shape ofsuch objects to true scale. With these capabilities, it is possible to record analogs of an object or piece of furniture. When the analogs are reconstructed, it is possible to prepare patterns from which slipcovers accurately conforming to the shape of the furniture may be produced simply, efficiently and at relatively low cost.

More specifically, a pair of stereoscopic photographs are made of a piece of furniture. These stereo images are recorded on a single piece of film with a fixed preselected physical separation. In order that the reconstruction of this analog can take place within reasonable confines, the optical axes of the lenses are folded to increase the apparent separation of the stereoscopic photographs without altering their physical separation. Thus, when the analog is reconstructed, it will automatically be at the desired reduced size without the need to physically alter the separation of the stereo images on the film.

In order to reconstruct the analog which is recorded stereoscopically on a single photographic base, the stereo images are projected to create a single threedimensional image of the original furniture piece. This may be accomplished, for example, by creating an anaglyphic image, i.e., one in which each of the projected stereo fih'n images are contrasting colors. When these images are viewed through eye glasses of similar contrasting colors, a single three-dimensional image, the reconstruction of the analog, will be observed. This reconstructed analog will be one in which perspective error has been eliminated.

In order to prepare a pattern from this reconstructed analog, an orthographic drawing or representation is made from the three-dimensional image. This is accomplished by inserting a viewing surface into the viewing area of the reconstructed analog or projected threedirnensional image and adjusting the position of the surface to keep it in apparent contact with the various portions of the image.

Since the three-dimensional image appears to be in more than one plane,'the viewing surface is successively positioned in each plane in which a portion of the three-dimensional image appears to be and that portion of the image is traced while the viewing surface is in apparent contact therewith. This tracing is reproduced on a drawing board. When the various portions of the entire three-dimensional image in each apparent plane have been traced, the resulting reproduction is an orthographic drawing from which a pattern for a slipcover can be produced.

In order to produce such a pattern, the orthographic drawing or representation is projected through a variable ratio enlarger with an optical axis aligned perpendicular to a projection surface. The orthographic drawing is thereby enlarged up to true 1:1 scale from which a tracing or pattern maybe made for cutting of the slipcover.

Thus, by the present invention there has been provided a method for reproducing the shape of object, such as furniture, on a production basis at locations remote from the site of the object. This is accomplished by recording a photographic analog of the object, by reconstructing the analog without perspective distortion, by preparing an orthographic drawing or representation of the reconstructed analog from which a pattern may be produced for reproduction of the shape of the object.

Numerous other advantages and features of the present invention will become readily apparent from the following detailed description of the invention and one embodiment thereof, from the claims and from the accompanying drawings in which each and every detail shown is fully and completely disclosed as part of the specification, in which like reference numerals refer to like parts, and in which:

FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic perspective view showing one way of photographically recording an analog from the front of a piece of furniture;

FIG. 2 is a diagrammatic side view of the arrangement of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a diagrammatic side view similar to FIG. 2 in which the side of the furniture is being recorded;

FIG. 4 is a front view of a chair to be covered showing the perspective error typically present in single plane reproduction;

FIG. 5 is an orthographic representation of the front view of a chair without perspective error;

FIG. 6 is a diagrammatic view showing the reconstruction of the analog and the preparation of an orthographic representation therefrom;

FIG. 6a is a diagrammatic view of the reconstructed analog of FIG. 6 showing various positions of a viewing surface;

FIG. 7 is a diagrammatic view showing one method of enlarging an orthographic representation to true scale;

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a chair showing typical panels which make up a slipcover;

FIGS. 9a-9g are typical orthographic views of the various panels identified in FIG. 8;

. FIGS. 10a-10d, by use of a cylinder, illustrates how a combination of orthographic views may be used to construct a pattem;and

FIGS. 1 10-1 1e, by use of a truncated cone, illustrates how a combination of views and analytically derived dimensional information can be used to construct a panel pattern.

Referring to FIGS. 1, 2 and 3 there is shown a camera 10 positioned to record images of a piece of furniture 1 l which is to be covered. In addition to being portable to allow for its use in the field, the camera 10 must be economical and simple to operate to allow for its use by unskilled personnel. As shown most clearly in FIG. 1, the camera 10 is a stereoscopic device having two lenses 12, 14 separated by a fixed distance 16. The

camera 10 records two images on a single film, the

images as recorded being separated by the same fixed distance 16 as are the lenses 12, 14.

The optical axes 20, 22 of the twin lenses- 12, 14 are mirror-folded in object space to increase the apparent separation 24 without disturbing the actual physical separation 16 of the photographic images. This is accomplished by a simple configuration including two pairs 26, 28 of accurately aligned mirrors which effectively increase the separation of the lenses at the points 30, 32 from which they view the object to be photographed.

In order to take the photograph, the camera 10 is set up a fixed distance from the furniture to be recorded. A target bar '34 is placed in the field of the camera view near the furniture 11 to provide a standard from which the reproduction or drawing may return to true scale. Photographs are then taken of the various plan views of the furniture, i.e., front, back, side, and sometimes top views, it being important that the optical axes 36, 38 of the camera be at right angles to the transverse axis of the furniture as shown most clearly in FIGS. 2 and 3.

It can be seen from FIG. 4, in which there is shown a chair as it usually appears in a photograph, that unless the perspective error usually present in such photographs .of three-dimensional objects is eliminated, the problem of making accurate measurements from the photograph is complex and time-consuming. In fact, making measurements from such a photograph is selfdefeating since any time saved in the remote recording of photographic images would be lost in making the necessary measurements from the photographic image. The use of an orthographic drawing or representation 40, such as shown in FIG. 5, which may be produced from a photographic analog 42 at a point remote from the location of the furniture, eliminates such complex measurements.

Referring to FIG. 6 there is shown a diagrammatic view showing how the analog 42 may be reconstructed by projecting a three-dimensional image 44 from the stereoscopically recorded images. A projector 46, designed to directly accommodate the single stereo film from the recording camera 10 without alteration, projects the image 44 through a pair of lenses 48, 50. The separation 52 between the projector lenses 48, 50 and the separation 16 of the camera lenses 12, 14 are fixed and the same distance apart.

One way of projecting the three-dimensional image 34 is by use of anaglyphic filters to produce an anaglyphic image. An anaglyphic image is a stereoscopic picture in which one component of the composite image, usually in red, is superposed upon the other component in contrasting color such as blue to produce a three-dimensional effect when viewed through correspondingly colored filters in the form of spectacles. Thus, an observer wearing such spectacles observes a single three-dimensional image in which the perspective distortion has been eliminated. Furthermore, if the lenses of the camera and projector are suitably chosen, any lens distortion present in the lenses will be compensated for and eliminated.

In order to create an orthographic drawing or representation 40, a viewing surface 54 is inserted into the three-dimensional image 44. The plane of the viewing surface 54 should be transverse to the optical axes 56, 58 of the projectionlenses 48, 50 and is adjustable along the optical axes to maintain it in apparent contact with the surface detail of the three-dimensional image 44.

The orthographic drawing 40 is a representation of those portions of the three-dimensional image 44 which are in the same plane as the viewing surface 54. Such portions may be measured directly on the viewing surface 54, or may be suitably reproduced as a drawing, with an appropriate instrument, for example, by use of a tracing table. By reference to FIG. 6a there is shown in the outline of a viewing surface positioned in two different planes 54-1, 542 in apparent contact with the front of the chair, and with the front portion of the back of the chair, respectively. (The plane of the chair arms has been omitted for clarity.) In each plane that portion of the chair is traced and the result is the orthographic drawing 40 illustrated at the bottom of FIG. 6 and FIG. 5.

One method of preparing a pattern from this drawing is to place the pattern in a variable ratio enlarger 59 having its optical axis 60 on a line perpendicular to a projection surface 61. The enlarger 59 is adjusted to enlarge the orthographic drawing 40 until it is a true-- scale graphic representation of one view of the chair. One way of accomplishing this is to enlarge the view until standard marks 62, taken from the target bar 34, are at full scale. From this enlargement a tracing 64 may be made from which a pattern for slipcovers may be prepared. After several different views have been similarly processed, the patterns necessary for making a slipcover may be produced and a slipcover which will accurately conform to the shape of the chair may be manufactured.

It is well known that a conventional fabric slipcover for furniture comprises a number of individual fabric panels sewn together to form a properly fitting cover.

For example, there is shown in FIG. 8 a perspective view of the chair 11 illustrated in FIGS. 1-7 with each of its many panels identified. FIGS. 9a-9g show orthographic views of each of the panels used to produce a cover for the chair illustrated in FIGS. 1-8. Excluding a cover for the cushion, there typically would be seven differently shaped panels required: a platform 66; a front drop 68; an inside arm 70; an inside back 72; an outside arm 74 (with the top of the arm 74a); an outside back 76 including a top 78; and a front arm 80.

A number of these panels are duplicated, for example, the panels for the front arm, the inside arm and the outside arm. In addition, for a cushion there would be the seat panel (not shown) and the boxing panel (not shown).

It should be readily apparent that in the production of a slipcover for the chair 11 illustrated in FIGS. l-8, patterns for the panels shown'in FIGS. 9a-9g can be obtained directly from the various orthographic drawings enlarged to a 1:1 scale. Thus, the front drop panel 68, the inside back panel 72 and the front arm panel 80 could be obtained directly from the front view illustrated in FIGS. 5 and 6.

A pattern for the outside arm panel 74 could be obtained directly from a side orthographic view of the chair, while a top orthographic view would yield patterns for platform panel 66, top arm panel 74a and the top panel 78, and the back view could provide the direct pattern for the outside back panel 76. Thus, in the chair illustrated in FIGS. l-8, the patterns for each of the panels could be constructed directly from the various orthographic views. I

It is equally apparent that if the outside of furniture being covered is complex in shape, the orthographic drawings will not serve directly as patterns for all the slipcover panels. However, various of the orthographic views can be used in combination to obtain the desired dimensional information needed to construct such complex panel patterns.

A simple example of such combination of orthographic views is illustrated in FIG. 10 wherein a pattern is to be obtained for covering the side surface of a cylinder 80 having a side 82 and circular ends 84, as illustrated in FIG. 10a. The side orthographic view 86 of such a cylinder is shown in FIG. 10b.

This view provides insufficient information to correctly construct a side panel pattern. However, if the information provided in the orthographic side view is combined with the information obtainable'from the orthographic top view 88 illustrated in FIG. 100, the true width of the side panel can be obtained and a side panelpattern 90 may be constructed as illustrated in FIG. 10d.

More complex shapes can similarly be obtained by integrating the information obtained directly from one or more of the orthographic views with other dimensional infonnation derived analytically. For example, the side panel patterns for a truncated cone 92 having a side 94, a small end 96 and a large end 98, as illustrated in FIG. 11a, may be obtained by combining the information from the top and side orthographic views 100, 102, respectively, illustrated in FIGS. 1 lb and He.

A panel constructed directly from the dimensional information of FIGS. 11b and 11c yield a side panel 104 illustrated in FIG. 11c. This panel, however, is incomplete even though the dimensions for the top edge and bottom edge are correct. Proper curvature for the upper and lower perimeter of the cone has been omitted. Information in addition to that obtained from the top and side orthographic views is required to complete the pattern. This information can be obtained analytically from the orthographic views, e.g., by reference to the principles of descriptive geometry, to yield the correct side panel 106 illustrated in FIG. 1 1d.

Thus, even in those cases where the slipcover panel patterns views are not constructed directly from the orthographic views, the necessary dimensional and graphic information for construction of panel patterns can be obtained therefrom.

Thus, the method of the present invention provides for the accurate, inexpensive, efficient, simple and centralized reproduction of the shape of objects, as illustrated for the production .of slipcovers at a point remote from an object to be reproduced or furniture to be covered. The method involves recording an analog of the object to be measured or covered, reconstructing that analog at a point remote from the object, preparing a planar representation of the analog and utilizing a plurality of such planar representations in which all perspective distortion has been eliminated to prepare a pattern from which the cover for the furniture may be produced.

The method of the present invention allows for centralized operations such as the production of custom slipcovers which accurately conform to the, shape of the object to be covered without the necessity of skilled artisans empirically measuring the object or cutting and fitting the cover in the field; allows for the measurement by personnel without the technical skills required of such artisans; and provides a method for making such objects or custom slipcovers available where previously they were unavailable or available only at prohibitive costs.

It will be readily observed from the foregoing detailed description of the invention and the illustrated embodiment thereof that numerous variations and modifications may be effected without departing from the true spirit and scope of the novel concepts and principles of this invention.

What is claimed is:

1. Method for producing covers for furniture at locations remote from the site of the furniture to be covered comprising the steps of taking atleast one stereoscopic picture of the furniture to be covered and recording images thereof on a photographic base with the images having a fixed physical separation therebetween less than the apparent optical separation therebetween to form an analog of the fumiture in proper position for reconstruction without alteration thereof, reconstructing the analog to eliminate perspective distortion including the steps of projecting as an anaglyphic stereo image the recorded analog on the larly shaped object comprising the steps of recording perspective images of the object to form analogs positioned for reconstruction without alteration, optically reconstructing said analogs free from perspective distortion, preparing true-scale distortionless planar representations of said analog reconstructions, and preparing patterns directly from said distortionless planar representations from which pattemsthe shape of the object may be accurately reproduced.

4. A method in accordance with claim 3 including the steps of recording said images stereoscopically, maintaining the apparent separation of said images different than the physical separation thereof, and reconstructing said analogs with said images maintained at said physical separation to automatically alter the scale thereof.

5. A method in accordance with claim 3 including the steps of recording said images stereoscopically, maintaining the apparent separation of aid images greater than the physical separation thereof, and reconstructing said analogs with said images maintained at said physical separation to automatically reduce the scale thereof.

6. A method in accordance with claim 4 including the steps of recording said stereoscopic images on a single photographic base, and maintaining the physical separation of said images constant.

7. A method in accordance with claim 3 including the steps of forming said analog by recording said images photographically from a point a preselected physical distance from said object, and making said photographic base while maintaining the physical separation between the images, and interposing a viewing surface into the viewing area of the anaglyphic stereo image in apparent contact therewith, creating a distortionless, planar representation of the analog reconstruction including the steps of adjusting the viewing surface to successively place it into the various distinct planes of the anaglyphic stereo image to mainrecording on a single photographic base.

8. A method in accordance with claim 4 including the steps of reconstructing said analog by projecting stereo images thereof while maintaining said physical separation, and creating a distortionless planar orthographic representation from said projected images.

9. A method in accordance with claim 8 including the step of interposing a viewing surface into the viewing area of said projected stereo images in apparent contact therewith, and creating said distortionless planar multigraphic representation by adjusting the viewing surface to successively place it into various distinct planes of said stereo images to maintain it in apparent contact with those portions of said stereo images in each plane, tracing the outline of said stereo images, and reproducing said traces to produce an orthographic view of said stereo images.

10. A method in accordance with claim 9 including the step of projecting said stereo images as anaglyphic images.

1 l. A method of remotely producing furniture covers comprising the steps of recording perspective images of the furniture to'form an analog thereof, optically and remotely reconstructing the analog free from perspective distortion, and preparing a planar distortionless pattern from the reconstructed analog from which a cover may be produced to confonn to the shape of the furniture. 7

13. A method in accordance with claim 11 including the step of placing a device for recording the analog a preselected fixed distance from the furniture.

14. A method in accordance with claim 11 including the step of stereoscopically recording the analog on a single recording medium with the images physically separated by a constant distance.

15. A method in accordance with claim 14 including the step of providing an apparent separation between the images different than the physical separation therebetween.

16. A method in accordance with claim 14 including the step of providing an apparent separation between the images greater than that of the physical separation.

17. A cover for an article of furniture constructed to conform to the surface configuration of the article, said cover comprised of a plurality of interconnected panels corresponding to discrete surfaces of the article, said panels being prepared from planar patterns produced by the method including the steps of recording a plurality of two-dimensional perspective images representing the geometry of said article, optically and remotely reproducing said recordings to reconstruct an analog of said article free from perspective distortion, preparing a two-dimensional distortionless planar representations of said article from said reconstructed recordings and constructing the planar panel patterns from said planar representations.

18. A slipcover as claimed in claim 17 in which at least one of said planar panel patterns is constructed directly from a single planar representation.

19. A slipcover as claimed in claim 17 in which at least one pattern represents a complex shape and is constructed from dimensional information from a plurality of said planar representations.

20. A slipcover as claimed in claim 17 in which at least one pattern represents a complex shape and is constructed in part from said planar representations and in part from dimensional information derived analytically from said planar representations.

21. A slipcover as claimed in claim 17, wherein said patterns are produced by a method wherein said twodimensional perspective images are stereoscopically photographically recorded from a point a preselected physical distance from the article of furniture, wherein the apparent separation of said images is maintained different than the physical separation thereof, and wherein said analogs are reconstructed with the physical separation of said images unchanged to reduce the scale thereof.

22. in a system for reproducing the shape of an ob- 10 ject at locations remote from the object by creating an analog thereof, a device for photographically recording the analog including means for simultaneously recording stereoscopic pairs of images of the object on a single photographic base with a constant physical separation, preobjective reflector means for varying the apparent separation of said recording means in object space, whereby the images are recorded automatically in proper position for reconstruction of the analog without perspective error from which the shape of the b' t be od d. o lii g syste in a rdance with claim 22, wherein said pre-objective reflector means increases the apparent separation of said recording means in object space.

24. In a system in accordance with claim 23, wherein said pre-objective reflector means includes a folded mirror optical system disposed in object space for varying the apparent separation of said recording means.

25. In a system for reproducing the shape of an object at locations remote from the object by creating an analog thereof, a stereo camera having a pair of lenses disposed at fixed distance apart for photographically recording stereoscopic pairs of images of the object on a single photographic base at a constant physical separation, pre-objective reflector means for altering the apparent separation of said stereo images in object space without alteration of said fixed separation of said lenses, whereby said images are recorded automatically in proper position for reconstruction of the analog without perspective error from which the shape of the object may be reproduced.

26. In a system in accordance with claim 25, wherein said pre-objective reflector means includes a folded mirror optical system, affixed to said camera. 

1. Method for producing covers for furniture at locations remote from the site of the furniture to be covered comprising the steps of taking at least one stereoscopic picture of the furniture to be covered and recording images thereof on a photographic base with the images having a fixed physical separation therebetween less than the apparent optical separation therebetween to form an analog of the furniture in proper position for reconstruction without alteration thereof, reconstructing the analog to eliminate perspective distortion including the steps of projecting as an anaglyphic stereo image the recorded analog on the photographic base while maintaining the physical separation between the images, and interposing a viewing surface into the viewing area of the anaglyphic stereo image in apparent contact therewith, creating a distortionless, planar representation of the analog reconstruction including the steps of adjusting the viewing surface to successively place it into the various distinct planes of the anaglyphic stereo image to maintain it in apparent contact with those portions of the image in each plane, tracing the outline of the anaglyphic stereo image, and reproducing said traces to produce an orthographic view of the anaglyphic stereo image, enlarging said representation to true scale, and preparing a pattern from the true scale representation of the analog from which covers may be produced to accurately conform to the shape of the furniture.
 2. A method in accordance with claim 1 in which a single camera provided with fixed twin lenses is used to record the picture on the photographic base and in which the optical axes of the lenses are mirror-folded in object space to provide the apparent separation greater than the actual separation of the photographic base.
 3. A method for reproducing the shape of an irregularly shaped object comprising the steps of recording perspective images of the object to form analogs positioned for reconstruction without alteration, optically reconstructing said analogs free from perspective distortion, preparing true-scale distortionless planar representations of said analog reconstructions, and preparing patterns directly from said distortionless planar representations from which patterns the shape of the object may be accurately reproduced.
 4. A method in accordance with claim 3 including the steps of recording said images stereoscopically, maintaining the apparent separation of said images different than the physical separation thereof, and reconstructing said analogs with said images maintained at said physical separation to automatically alter the scale thereof.
 5. A method in accordance with claim 3 including the steps of recording said images stereoscopically, maintaining the apparent separation of aid images greater than the physical separation thereof, and reconstructing said analogs with said images maintained at said physical separation to automatically reduce the scale thereof.
 6. A method in accordance with claim 4 including the steps of recording said stereoscopic images on a single photographic base, and maintaining the physical separation of said images constant.
 7. A method in accordance with claim 3 including the steps of forming said analog by recording said images photographically from a point a preselected physical distance from said object, and making said recording on a single photographic base.
 8. A method in accordance with claim 4 including the steps of reconstructing said analog by projecting stereo images thereof while maintaining said physical separation, and creating a distortionless planar orthographic representation from said projected images.
 9. A method in accordance with claim 8 including the step of interposing a viewing surface into the viewing area of said projected stereo images in apparent contact therewith, and creating said distortionless planar multigraphic representation by adjusting the viewing surface to successively place it into various distinct planes of said stereo images to maintain it in apparent contact with those portions of said stereo images in each plane, tracing the outline of said stereo images, and reproducing said traces to produce an orthographic view of said stereo images.
 10. A method in accordance with claim 9 including the step of projecting said stereo images as anaglyphic images.
 11. A method of remotely producing furniture covers comprising the steps of recording perspective images of the furniture to form an analog thereof, optically and remotely reconstructing the analog free from perspective distortion, and preparing a planar distortionless pattern from the reconstructed analog from which a cover may be produced to conform to the shape of the furniture.
 12. A method in accordance with claim 11 including the step of reconstructing said analog without alteration thereof.
 13. A method in accordance with claim 11 including the step of placing a device for recordiNg the analog a preselected fixed distance from the furniture.
 14. A method in accordance with claim 11 including the step of stereoscopically recording the analog on a single recording medium with the images physically separated by a constant distance.
 15. A method in accordance with claim 14 including the step of providing an apparent separation between the images different than the physical separation therebetween.
 16. A method in accordance with claim 14 including the step of providing an apparent separation between the images greater than that of the physical separation.
 17. A cover for an article of furniture constructed to conform to the surface configuration of the article, said cover comprised of a plurality of interconnected panels corresponding to discrete surfaces of the article, said panels being prepared from planar patterns produced by the method including the steps of recording a plurality of two-dimensional perspective images representing the geometry of said article, optically and remotely reproducing said recordings to reconstruct an analog of said article free from perspective distortion, preparing a two-dimensional distortionless planar representations of said article from said reconstructed recordings and constructing the planar panel patterns from said planar representations.
 18. A slipcover as claimed in claim 17 in which at least one of said planar panel patterns is constructed directly from a single planar representation.
 19. A slipcover as claimed in claim 17 in which at least one pattern represents a complex shape and is constructed from dimensional information from a plurality of said planar representations.
 20. A slipcover as claimed in claim 17 in which at least one pattern represents a complex shape and is constructed in part from said planar representations and in part from dimensional information derived analytically from said planar representations.
 21. A slipcover as claimed in claim 17, wherein said patterns are produced by a method wherein said two-dimensional perspective images are stereoscopically photographically recorded from a point a preselected physical distance from the article of furniture, wherein the apparent separation of said images is maintained different than the physical separation thereof, and wherein said analogs are reconstructed with the physical separation of said images unchanged to reduce the scale thereof.
 22. In a system for reproducing the shape of an object at locations remote from the object by creating an analog thereof, a device for photographically recording the analog including means for simultaneously recording stereoscopic pairs of images of the object on a single photographic base with a constant physical separation, preobjective reflector means for varying the apparent separation of said recording means in object space, whereby the images are recorded automatically in proper position for reconstruction of the analog without perspective error from which the shape of the object may be reproduced.
 23. In a system in accordance with claim 22, wherein said pre-objective reflector means increases the apparent separation of said recording means in object space.
 24. In a system in accordance with claim 23, wherein said pre-objective reflector means includes a folded mirror optical system disposed in object space for varying the apparent separation of said recording means.
 25. In a system for reproducing the shape of an object at locations remote from the object by creating an analog thereof, a stereo camera having a pair of lenses disposed a fixed distance apart for photographically recording stereoscopic pairs of images of the object on a single photographic base at a constant physical separation, pre-objective reflector means for altering the apparent separation of said stereo images in object space without alteration of said fixed separation of said lenses, whereby said images are recorded automatically in proper position for reconstruction of the analog without perspective erroR from which the shape of the object may be reproduced.
 26. In a system in accordance with claim 25, wherein said pre-objective reflector means includes a folded mirror optical system, affixed to said camera. 